Mario Tennis Power Tour 2: Inner Power
by Solaris Prime
Summary: A new year has started and new students are enrolling into the Academy. But with these new students comes a mystery, and a new way to play tennis.
1. Prologue

The courts were fully loaded with Welcome Workout matches being held in every corner. New students flooded into the Royal Academy since "rookie" students won both the singles and doubles championship: Ace and Clay. Most of the new students seemed to be here for just being in the same tennis school as the celebrities for that's what most of the conversations were about.

However, those working out off the courts were much more focused on training than anything. The coaches were working them to the bone, it seemed, as a few kids and teens were like mirrors to the afternoon lights. A couple started to drop, but apparent determination made them catch a second wind and stood up with fierce determination. "That's what we like to see!" one of the coaches said with pride.

Ace and Alex were watching the workout from above, keeping close eyes on the players that stood out. Most of those that did were playing tennis, showing either immense power or amazing speed. Ace was pretty impressed, but Alex had other things on his mind.

"What's up Alex?" Ace asked as she noticed the blank stare Alex was giving.

Alex shook his head and looked at her. "What's that?"

"You're spacing out on me. Something up?"

Alex shifted his gaze back out to the courts. "Maybe. I'm not too sure yet." Ace gave a hard sigh. "Have you heard from Mario recently?"

The current champ of the Island Open repeated Alex's question in her mind before whispering, "Why do you ask?"

"Well… Nevermind."

"Hey guys!" The two looked over to see a familiar boy coming over with three bottles of water. "I thought you may want these."

"I'll take one," Alex said as the boy tossed one to him. "Thanks, Clay."

"What about you, Ace?" Clay asked as he handed her a bottle.

She was hesitant, but took it. "Well, I am getting a little thirsty."

The three started taking a few drinks until cheers rang out from the courts behind them. They dashed to the opposite railing to see one court rounded with spectators as a match was being held. This was somewhat new for the Welcome Workout matches usually doesn't get this much attention.

"What's going on?" Clay asked.

Ace pushed herself off the railing and started walking to a set of stairs that led to the courts. "I don't know, but I'm gonna find out."

"Ace!" Alex exclaimed. "The courts are off limits to us right now. Only the new students can be in there."

"Headmaster asked us to keep an eye out for promising players, right?" Alex nodded. "That's what I am doing: Scouting."

Alex and Clay exchanged glances before following her down the steps. When she has a point, she has point.

* * *

"Keep it up!"

"You got this, girl!"

"Watch that spin!"

Ace, Clay, and Alex made it up to the court the crowd was gathered to find two new students playing each other. Clay glanced at the scoreboard to see each player with a game point and at a deuce for the next one. That must have meant that this game has been going on for a while now.

"What's going on here?" Alex asked a nearby spectator.

"I'm not exactly sure myself," they answered, "but as soon as that boy on the end right there started running really fast, people started gathering."

The trio looked at their right side of the court and found a boy with short spiky blue hair, a black T-shirt, red shorts and white tennis shoes running around his end of the court. However, it wasn't 'really fast' as the student said. Instead, his speed was about normal.

"Was it a power shot?" Clay asked.

"Not by what I saw," said someone behind him, "unless he can do it three times in a row."

"Three times?" the three repeated in surprise.

"No joke," a girl beside Ace assured. "I'm starting to wonder if he's even human."

Alex shook his head in disbelief. "No, that can't be! There must be a logical explanation for this."

Ace took her eyes off the boy and to the other player on the opposite side. There was a girl in a blue and yellow tank top with a black tennis skirt and white and red tennis shoes. However, the most bizarre thing Ace found was the girl's tintless white hair. "What about her?" She asked.

Alex turned to Ace. "Who?"

"Her." Ace pointed to the girl who just lunged to be able to hit the ball back. "Did she do anything strange like the boy?"

"No, she hasn't," someone nearby answered. Just then, the crowd shouted as the trio looked at the scoreboard again to see the girl having the advantage point.

"What happened?" Clay asked making Ace roll her eyes.

"She made a point. What do you think?" Ace replied. She then turned back to the girl and noticed her eyes. They were a dark brown and no depth seemed to have shown. This gave the impression that she was a shallow, and maybe cold, person. She then turned to the boy to see the exact opposite. His was a deep green that seemed to give a message that he was lively.

"Here comes the next serve," Alex said. Ace looked at him real quick before setter her eyes back on the girl who was about to serve the ball.

As she threw it up, there was a faint sound of a heartbeat that rang out and then she hit the ball. The yellow sphere almost disappeared from sight, but then the sound of a racket hitting it sharply emitted from the boy's direction. The yellow ball could then be seen from above for a moment until gravity took control and it started falling. The girl stood just underneath and smashed it back with the same immense power like the serve towards the opposite corner from the boy. Then he disappeared and seemed to have teleported to the ball just in time to give a decent hit. She hit it again and he did the exact same stunt as before.

Ace was amazed at this never-ending display of speed and power. She wasn't sure how long it lasted until the girl gave one final blow to the ball and flew past the boy, left a mark on the ground, barely missed the people sitting on the back benches, and dug into the wall. No one could breathe for a moment as they looked at the big finale that unfolded.

'_Impossible,_' Ace thought. '_Not even a power shot can do that._'

"Dang it," an exhausted voice was heard and all heads turned to the blue haired boy who was now on his hands and knees. "I wasn't… fast enough."

Just as he finished, a racket hit the ground and Ace turned in time to see the white haired girl fall and hit the ground. Ace then remembered herself fainting during the Welcome Workout and, feeling compelled to do so, ran over to her side. She turned the girl to her back and checked for breathing.

"Can I get a coach here?" Ace asked in a calm voice.

"What happened?" Like she asked, a female coach broke through the crowd and ran over. Ace knew her as her Senior coach: Emily.

"We have another fainter, Emily."

Emily sighed in relief. "Okay. I thought it was something more serious with everyone around here like this."

"We were having a small match." Both shifted their eyes at the boy who was jumping over the net. However, when he landed, he seemed to have winced in pain.

"During the Welcome Workout?" Emily asked.

"I asked Coach Mark if we could and he gave the 'okay' to." By then, he walked over to the girl and knelt down. "It seems we both have that skill."

"What skill?" Alex asked from afar.

"Well… I can't really explain it."

"Let's not worry about that," Emily interrupted. "For now, we need to get Jordan to the lodge." Ace looked at Emily for a moment. "This girl's name is Jordan. I talked with her before the workout started."

"Oh," Ace openly stated and then turned to the boy. "Hey, uh…"

"Call me Nick," he said.

"Okay. Nick, could you go get a nurse or someone? We'll need something to help us carry Jordan."


	2. Chapter 1

"**Jordan, are you alright?"**

**"I... I don't... know..."**

**"How were you able to do that?"**

**"I just... got a burst of energy, but... I couldn't-"**

"Stop..." Jordan slowly opened her eyes and then realized she was having a dream. Her now deep brown eyes slowly looked back and forth, trying to gather detail of her surroundings while lying down. Finally realizing she was not on the courts anymore, she pulled herself up and next realized she was in bed in a somewhat small room.

"Where-" Jordan cut herself off after the memory of what happened during the Welcome Workout surfaced in her mind. "Oh, right. The Academy." She looked at herself to notice that her tennis clothes were not on and was only in her nightgown. '_Did someone dress me?_' She thought before getting up and checked her room in more detail.

The things she brought with her were lazily stacked on a nearby table and her suitcase was at the foot of the bed. There was a small black TV on a desk in the left corner of the room and the closet was on the right side. Jordan opened the closet to find her tennis clothes neatly hung up and her shoes on a rack just below where the clothes were.

Then came a knock on the door. "Jordan! Are you in?" The voice sounded familiar to the white haired player, but couldn't place the owner.

"Who is it?" Jordan asked in reply.

"Ace. Your dorm room neighbor." Jordan had to think for a minute. "I was one of the people that brought you in here."

'_That's where I remember hearing her voice!'_ Jordan mentally exclaimed. "I think the door's open."

Ace slowly entered the room and quietly shut the door. She was wearing her usual sleeveless white and red top with a matching plaid skirt and shoes and her light brown hair was styled in her usual pigtail fashion. "You're up pretty early."

Jordan gave a small smile. "I'm usually an early bird, so I wouldn't find it that surprising." As Jordan looked at Ace, she noticed a hint of surprise in Ace's eyes. "What's wrong?"

Ace shook her head slightly. "W-What do you mean?"

"You look awestruck, in a way. Did something happen?"

"Oh. Well, when I watched you play yesterday, your eyes were really shallow, so I thought you were a little more... Oh, how should I put it?"

"Cold?" Jordan rolled her eyes, knowing this isn't the first time this has happened.

"Well, yeah. Now your eyes are so deep and your more laid back than I thought."

Jordan turned and started pulling her clothes out of the closet. "I take the game seriously."

Her calm voice made Ace confused about Jordan's exact meaning in that statement. "One could guess. Anyway, you want to get some breakfast? Being early means you get first dibs on the food in the restaurant."

"I'd love to," Jordan said in a cheery tone. "Just let me get dressed and I'll meet you outside."

"Okay. See you there."

As Ace left, Jordan laid her clothes down real quick and started jumping and silently screaming. She only dreamed of spending time with a champion and now she'll finally get the opportunity to. "This has got to be the best day of my life!"

It didn't take too much longer until Jordan made her way towards the exit. As she opened the first set of doors, she had to shield her eyes from the sunlight coming in from outside since the next set of doors were glass. The windows in her room didn't warn her about the brightness thanks to the trees overlapping her end of the dorm. As she passed the second set of doors, the air was flooded with the morning wind and birds chirping their daily symphony. As Jordan's eyes adjusted, she could see two people in the courtyard. One she knew as Ace, but the other was a boy with dark brown hair and eyes wearing a yellow and blue shirt, blue shorts, and matching shoes. Even though she never met him, Jordan couldn't help but wonder if she saw him somewhere before.

"What took you so long?" the boy asked in a cheerful tone.

Even knowing that he was joking, Jordan felt somewhat insulted. "Well, sorry," she said in a stern voice.

"Clay, go easy on her," Ace ordered. "She's new here, remember?"

"I was just messing around. Can't take a joke, can she? I guess she is just as stiff off the court as she is on it."

Clay's speculation confused Jordan for a minute. "What do you mean?"

"You looked more serious about a match than Tori. I have got to say, that was scary."

Jordan looked at Ace, hoping for an explanation. "He watched your match during the Welcome Workout too. But I have to say, you act much different than what we first thought."

"Yeah. I don't know why I act like that," Jordan openly wondered. "I guess I'm like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to tennis."

Clay laughed. "I'll say. Scared me witless." Just then, there was a loud rumble. "What was that?"

Ace and Clay looked at Jordan and noticed red on her cheeks. "Uh..." As she spoke, her blush became more distinct. "Not to rush, but can we get to the restaurant?"

Ace's memories of her first day rushed into her mind and a gigantic smile appeared on her face. "Of course. Sorry to keep you waiting." She then turned to her doubles partner and the smile vanished in an instant. "Could you do me a favor and escort Jordan to the restaurant?"

"What?" Clay exclaimed while keeping his voice to a minimum. "Why should I do that?"

The champ rolled her eyes. "I'm going to head over towards the Junior courts and talk to Mark about something. Until then, take good care of Jordan for me, alright?"

Before Clay could come back with anything, Ace already started running down the pathway and left the Senior with the new student. He gave a hard sigh before setting his sights back on Jordan who wasn't where she stood before. Now she was near the newly planted rosebushes, inhaling the sweet fragrance each flower emitted. '_There's no way this girl won the match like this,_' he thought. '_Maybe Jordan wasn't joking about what she said, cause this one looks _way_ too soft to be a competitive tennis player._'

"So, are you ready?" Jordan's question snapped Clay out of his thoughts.

"Oh... uh, yeah. Let's get some grub."

* * *

Ace took a sharp left as she almost ran passed the pathway to the Junior courts. In the distance, she could hear the steady beat of a rally in a tennis match, telling her either people were practicing or playing a ranking match. More memories flooded her mind about her time in the Junior courts so much to where she didn't notice how close she was to the coach.

"Ace!" The yell made the champ snap back to her senses and made an abrupt stop. Ace was less than a step away from Coach Mark, making her swallow hard and jump back to create comfortable distance.

"What has you so distracted?" Mark asked with a small smirk. The red-head coach was even Ace's Junior coach last year. However, the sense of equality never left his light brown eyes.

"Oh, sorry, Coach. I was reminiscing, in a way." Ace's embarrassment kept her form looking at Mark.

Mark laughed. "Being on top makes you want to look back on how you got there, huh?" Ace shrugged along with an innocent smile. "Well, not to be a downer, but your record is being broken."

"Record?"

"It's more of an unwritten record. Let me put it this way: Someone is rising in the ranks much faster than you."

Ace put one hand over her mouth while cradling her elbow in her other had, a pose that let others know she was in thought. After a few seconds, she knew who Mark was talking about. "Nick?"

The coach nodded. "He just blew past Sophia recently, and right after she beat Mason in a ranking match too."

"Sophia beat Mason in a ranking match?"

"She finally found her endurance. However, it didn't help with Nick. Not one ball went past him with that ability he has."

Ace looked around the courts and found Sophia sitting on a bench with a somber look on her face. "I assume Sophia didn't take the loss well?"

"Accused him of cheating, really. It's been ruled that Juniors cannot have power shots until they rise to the senior ranks. I agree, because you need to rely on basic tennis more than power shots."

"But the fact that Nick can move so fast at certain times makes them think he has a power shot of some sort. Therefore they nearly hate him for it." Ace wasn't really surprised. Everyone was upset with Clay just for being a Senior and playing with her to rise in the doubles rankings.

"Long story short."

"Right." Ace looked around once more and found Sasha playing a practice match with her partner. "Sasha's next, it seems."

"She's not planning on losing her number one rank to 'a cheater,' she says."

Ace rolled her eyes at the naïve statement. "Where's Nick now?"

"At the training center. Just the fact that he'll train with that power amazes me."

"Okay. I'll see if I can't catch him." The champ turned around and started running. "Thanks for the info!"

* * *

Clay slowly chewed his cereal while watching Jordan from across their table. The white haired player had a mini-buffet out before her and it was only the half of it. The other half was already devoured. A few other students was watching from a distance, but quickly turned away as Clay started to feel them staring and looked.

"Are you usually this hungry?" Clay asked before taking another spoonful of cereal.

Jordan stopped for a moment to wipe her mouth with a napkin and then answered, "No, not really. However, my usual meals are still considerably large. I may not look it, but I have a big appetite."

Clay raised an eyebrow in interest. "So your pretty active throughout the day?"

"Mostly." Jordan started eating again, but after a few minutes, she noticed Clay staring at her hair. "Pigments."

The word confused Clay. "Huh?"

"You want to know why my hair is colorless, right?"

"Well, I- uh-"

Jordan laughed. "It's okay. You're not the first one."

"Okay. So... How did it happen?"

"No clue." Her reply made Clay slap his forehead in frustration. "All I know is that something happened to me while I was little that destroyed the pigments in my hair. You know about pigments, right?"

"I'm not taking Biology until next school year."

"Okay then. To put it simply, pigments are the things in your body that gives it color."

Clay tried to get this straight. "So the fact you don't have pigments in your hair makes it white?"

"That's basically what I already said," Jordan said in a monotonous voice.

"I know. I was just repeating so the explanation can sink in my mind more easily."

"A new student giving you lessons, Clay?" Clay knew that voice all too well, so he didn't look at the speaker. However, Jordan turned to see a boy with light blue hair and dark eyes behind a pair of glasses. His skin was a little pale and his attire consisted entirely of two colors: white and blue. "I would have expected it the other way around since you're the doubles champ."

"I thought you said you'd be busy today, Elroy?" Clay asked the kid with glasses. "Found time in your busy schedule?"

"Actually, I have," Elroy responded with pride. "I came over to meet with Miss Jordan here." As his gaze landed on Jordan, she felt a little uncomfortable.

"Me?" She sheepishly asked.

"Well, is there any other girl Jordans in this school?" Even though his tone sounded to be joking, Jordan couldn't help but wonder his intentions. "Do you mind if I sit with you two?"

Jordan glanced at Clay who gave a light shrug. "I suppose not."

Elroy gave a light nod and rounded the table to take a seat next to Clay. Clay, however, didn't exactly seem too thrilled about it. "Are you still sore over my words last year?" Elroy asked.

"You still believe it, don't you?" Clay retorted.

"You know it's only natural for someone to say a first-timer's victory is a fluke."

"Even when it came to Ace alone, you still said it even though she dominated you _twice_!" Clay's raised voice turned a few heads. "Learn some humility!"

"It's been a year, Clay," Elroy replied calmly. "Even though I'm still sore about it, I mellowed out enough to know my place." Clay relaxed a little after that statement. "Therefore, I speak for us all when I say that you need to prove us wrong and win the title again. However," he shifted his gaze at Jordan once more, "you may have some serious competition this year in the Academy."

Jordan shifted her eyes back and forth between both boys a few times before finally saying, "You mean my ability?"

"I think he means _our abilities._" Jordan jumped once again and turned to see a blue haired boy and Ace behind her. "Hi there," the boy greeted with a large smile on his face. "Remember me?"

The white haired player thought for a second until her match with him came to the forefront of her mind. "Oh! Yes, I remember. It's Nick, right?" Nick nodded. "Would you like to sit down with us?"

"I would love to! But Ace pulled me out of the Training Center when I started to head back to the Junior courts for a ranking match. She insisted I meet my doubles partner before I did anything else."

Jordan felt a little disappointed at being turned down, but the doubles partner part caught her interest. "Partner? Well, who is it?" Nick and Ace exchanged glances before each gave a light chuckle. "What?"

"It's you," Ace answered, making Jordan glare in disbelief with eyes people only saw on the court.


	3. Chapter 2

Her eyes were beyond frightening; something so strong that steel would have a hard time resisting to bend from its power. Ace swallowed while she stared into the girl's eyes as she stood from her seat. Nick was tempted to take a step back since he could feel her breathing on him from being so close, but stood his ground. Clay was ready to jump out of his seat for anything, but Elroy just sat there, intrigued.

"This is a joke, right?" Jordan asked, her voice steeped in a deathly serious tone. All Ace could do was shake her head, but it was much slower than normal. "Just because we have similar abilities doesn't mean we _need_ to be paired."

"I-It's not a need," Ace stuttered while trying to grip her emotions. "The H-Headmaster just thought-"

"It's only natural." Every eye around the table turned to Elroy. "Think about it. It's not a matter of putting two people with extraordinary power together just to get you into the Island Open."

Jordan turned to Elroy and asked in a higher voice, "What else could it mean?"

"During the match at the Welcome Workout, neither of you had a decent grip on your inner strength. Both of you were exhausted, but it just so happened that you fainted cause you happened to use yours to a further extent." Everyone listened into this, wondering if Elroy was going where they thought he was. "Your lack of control knocked you out entirely. If you were in a series of singles matches, the first match alone would do you in for the entire league."

"So it's more of cutting up the work?" Nick asked.

Elroy stood. "Basically. As far as I heard, Alex and the Headmaster are working on something to help you two train your power, but until then they believed you should be paired up to be support for each other."

Jordan gritted her teeth in irritation, not enjoying the meaning she heard from this. "I don't need a crutch!" She exclaimed, making everyone in the café look at her.

"It's not a crutch, Blankspot," Elroy stated as he tapped her nose a couple of times telling her to calm down. "See him as an extra reservoir of energy." Jordan backed down with a sigh. That could be another way to look at things. "Besides, you two may learn something from each other."

Jordan turned to Nick, understanding and guilt finally getting to her. Her eyes softened back to her usual self and her pose went from stiff to casual, but her head hung in shame. "Nick, I'm sorry," she apologized in a pitiful tone. "I didn't mean to call you a crutch."

Nick, who was a little surprised by the sudden change of personalities, let out a quick laugh and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure some others would say the same thing."

"But it doesn't make it right." Jordan was ashamed, but Nick thought otherwise. He could see she was independent, at least when it comes to tennis. The blue haired player put one finger under Jordan's chin long enough to lift up her head, making the two meet eye to eye.

"You spoke out your feelings, and I like people who do that." Looking at his eyes, Jordan could see leadership in the deep, green irises. "I must admit, you're the most interesting person I've meet in my life. If you want, we could be friends."

A soft smile appeared on the white haired player's lips, thankful he accepts her as she is. "Nick…"

Nick turned, starting to walk out, but stops for a brief moment to say, "Whenever your ready for doubles, just let me know. I'll be waiting."

The group watched as the laidback boy exited the building, gaining some attention by others that just came in. Ace turned back to Jordan, ready to say something, but noticed she was in a daze as her eyes seemed fixed dead ahead. A light giggled escaped the champ's lips while she watched.

"That… was…" Clay seemed to be at a loss for words with his eyes still wide in surprise.

"Very interesting," Elroy finished, adjusting his glasses. "Now I wonder how Tori would react during Jordan's little act."

Jordan finally snapped out of her spell as she heard the varsity player's last word and turned abruptly. Her eyes didn't change, but they were still serious. "What do you mean 'act?' I know my personality may be unnatural, but to degrade my manner of speaking for what I'm passionate about to nothing more than an 'act' is an insult in the highest degree! Give me one reason why I shouldn't smack you right now!"

All Elroy did was smirk, which made Jordan angry. She raised her hand, ready to strike at a moments notice, but before she could do anything, someone grabbed her arm. Looking back, it was Ace. "Jordan, don't!" she warned. "This is your first day here. Don't ruin it by getting in trouble within the first few hours!"

Jordan knew she was right, but Elroy's words still hurt. Listening to the champion, she calmed down and gently pulled from Ace's grip. "You're right, but I still want an apology."

"Apology?" Elroy questioned. "Since when do I need to apologize? Last I checked, I only observed something and made a theory using inductive reasoning." Jordan didn't know whether to be angry or to ask him to change his use of words. All that she did was tilt her head in confusion. "If you want me to apologize, show me your outburst was more than just an act and make it to the Open. _Then_ I'll consider apologizing."

"Consider?"

The varsity player chuckled. "I'll leave you with that challenge. So, I'll expect you to be on the varsity courts soon. Don't disappoint me, Jordan." Without any other word, Elroy left the three alone to let everything that happened sink in. Jordan, though, was furious.

"Who does he think he is?"

"That's just Elroy," Ace stated. "Don't let him get to you, Jordan. He may be a snob when it comes to tennis, but on other subjects he's very pleasant to be around." Clay scoffed behind the girls, earning a small glare from the champ. "Although, some of us tend to disagree."

The white haired player sighed and took her seat again, the stress of the event finally taking its toll on her. She looked at the rest of the food she had in front of her, but her appetite wasn't the same anymore. As such, she pushed the closest dish away, surprising Clay.

"You're not hungry anymore?"

Jordan shook her head. "I lost my appetite."

* * *

Breakfast was quiet after Elroy made his voice known in Jordan's career. Clay was trying to get Jordan to talk again like before, but every attempt failed. Ace was worried about the new girl, knowing such a mood wasn't healthy. To the champ, it didn't seem like Jordan to be so down. Then she had an idea and dragged Jordan to an open court out in the front.

"A match?" Jordan asked, making sure she heard Ace correctly. "Between you and me? But you're the champion! I couldn't possibly-"

"Why not?" Ace retaliated with a song in her voice. "It's all in good fun, and I thought it would help relive some stress for the both of us."

Jordan smiled, glad Ace was concerned for her. "Well, okay then. But I don't have my racket, though."

"Actually, Clay should be here any second with it." As if on cue, the girls noticed the brunette running up with a case in hand. "See? Everything's ready to go. So would a 1 set match be all right?"

Jordan giggled when she noticed there was no way she could work her way out of this. Clay gave her the case and she unzipped it, revealing a white lined racket with a blue grip. Then, as soon as she grabbed it and pulled it out, her eyes changed once more, but not as intimidating as before. "I won't be holding back."

Ace gave a playful smirk at the warning. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

The match took longer than expected and gained a good bit of attention across the grounds. The score was 2 to 1 in game with Ace leading and also her having the advantage point. Both girls were amazed at each other's abilities, but more so for Ace since Jordan is completely new to her. "Want to call it quits?" the champ asked.

"Sorry," Jordan replied while getting ready to serve, "but this isn't over just yet!"

"If you turn this into a tiebreaker, I'll be impressed."

"Oh, I'm not settling for a tiebreaker, girl."

Jordan threw the ball in the air and slammed it across the court. Ace lined herself up and turned it without too much trouble during the stroke. The ball landed close to the net, making the white haired player dash over to lob the ball before it made a second bounce. The champ took this opportunity and positioned herself underneath, but then noticed the smile on Jordan's face. She knew what was about to happen, but then Ace had another idea.

She backed up and let the ball bounce once, surprising Jordan. Then, as the ball came down to the waist, Ace started a familiar stroke. She loosened herself and twisted her body back for a split moment before quickly spinning around and hit the ball in a form where the ball curved immensely and a pink light left a thick trail where it traveled. Believe it or not, the move itself took only a split second to pull off in real time.

Jordan didn't see this coming and hesitated in going after the ball. This ended up being her downfall as she finally did lunge for it, but missed by an inch. The ball bounced twice and the match was called.

Jordan picked herself up and walked over to the bench to put up her racket. Once let go, her eyes deepened back to their natural form and she sighed from both exhaustion and disappointment. She knew there was a strong chance of her losing, but she couldn't help feeling a little down.

Ace walked over and put a hand on Jordan's should, gaining the player's attention. "That was a good match," she complimented. "I could see you know what you're doing on the court."

Jordan's cheeks turned pink, flattered by the compliment. "Perhaps so, but that move you did threw me off guard. Is that what they call a Power Shot?"

"Yep, that'd be it," Clay came in without warning. "However, I never seen _you_ use that kind of shot, Ace. I thought only-" The boy was cut short as Ace quickly covered his mouth and shot a threatening glare at him.

"Be quiet!" she hissed. "I'll tell you about it later."

"What's the big secret?" Jordan asked the two. Ace and Clay exchanged glances as if they were communicating in that manner. But once Ace nodded, she backed away from her partner.

"It's nothing important," she said, trying to put a laugh in her voice.

Jordan eyed the two, wondering what was going on. She felt they were indeed hiding something, but with the way Ace reacted when Clay was about the hint at it, she decided not to pry. "Okay, I guess can live without knowing."

"Do you want us to escort you to the lodge?" Clay asked, receiving an excited nod from the white haired player.

"It is getting pretty late," Ace commented. "I'll get something to eat before calling it a day. What about you, Jordan?"

"I'll just rest in my room. If I get hungry, I'll just break into my leftovers."

"Sounds like a plan." With smiles, the three grabbed their stuff and headed out.

* * *

"She didn't use her ability," a strange figure said in sickening voice, watching Jordan from the shadows just outside of the Academy's campus. "I can't measure how strong she is if she doesn't use it enough."

"Don't worry about it," a kid's voice stated. "Papa knows things will take a while until she comes to our world."

"Are you sure she'll make it? I can see she's almost as good as Ace, but she doesn't even know how to control it. If I posses her—Ow!"

"That's against Papa's rules! She needs to learn about it herself. Give her time."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: You guys just love to push me over the edge, don't you? lol! Since I got a few reviews and some personal messages regarding this ("Please! Continute!), I decided to get myself back in this game.**

**Oh, and to the person who reviewed saying that Nick should be fleshed out a bit more, I was saving that moment for this chapter. I wanted people to think he was too good to be true.**

**Standard Disclaimer applies.**

* * *

"Match point!" The senior coach announced as Nick stared Kyoko down on the opposite side of the court. The girl swallowed hard as she firmly gripped the ball she needed to serve. The entire match was one sided, Kyoko only getting a few points. She felt humiliated to the extreme.

_'How?'_ she asked herself. _'Not even us seniors know how to handle that kind of power. It's not a power shot, but it acts just like one. Is this boy even human?'_

"Take your time." Nick's statement pulled Kyoko out of her thoughts. She just looked at him, surprised that he wasn't gloating his inevitable victory.

_'Okay. I _really _don't understand him.'_

"Is something wrong, Kyoko?" The coach asked.

Kyoko shook her head. "No, Coach Emily." That was actually a lie. She didn't want to lose her 2nd rank in senior singles like this. "It can't be helped." She sighed and then served the ball. Nick quickly dashed to the ball and hit it back, but Kyoko didn't move. The ball simply went past her without any trouble.

The senior coach just stared at her student for a moment, amazed that Kyoko just gave up. "Uh..." she stuttered, but finished, "I guess Nick is the winner."

The blue haired boy just stood there, confused. True, he was winning games like a breeze blew by, but no one just gave up as she did. As Kyoko solemnly walked off, Nick felt irritated. The win was hollow. The 'all or nothing' play he usually gets from his opponents wasn't there. In fact, the more he dwelt on it, the more irritated he became.

"That's IT!" He yelled and stormed over to Kyoko. Many players there stared after him, but the target of his yelling didn't budge an inch as she started to sit down on her usual bench. However, she was forced to halt as he arm was pulled towards the infuriated tennis player. "Why did you do that?"

Even in this position, Kyoko's eyes didn't change. She simply glanced at Nick for a moment with pity. "It wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"So you would just give up?"

"Why waste energy on a hopeless task?"

Nick scowled at the statement. "Why, huh?" His grip loosened, piquing Kyoko's curiosity. She looked into his eyes, finding that neither his happy gleam or angry fire was lighting his green irises. Instead, they seemed sad. "Hopeless..."

The now 3rd ranked senior felt something from Nick. It was strong and piercing, making her feel sick to her stomach. _'Something's wrong,'_ she thought as she motioned Nick to sit with her. "Did I... say something wrong?"

"No." Nick's voice cracked as he spoke. Something was obviously wrong by this point, enough to make the coach come over.

"Kyoko, Nick, is everything okay?"

Kyoko thought for a second, wondering if a coach would be the best thing for Nick or not at this point. "It's fine," she told Emily. "I can handle this."

"Are you sure?" Kyoko nodded reassuringly. "Well, if anything gets out of hand, just call."

"Yes ma'am." With a nod from Emily, she turned and walked away, leaving the two to talk. Once making sure everyone was out of earshot, Kyoko asked, "Nick, what's wrong?"

The boy glanced at her, tears starting to form in his eyes. "It's... hard to talk about."

Kyoko wiped a tear that started to fall, trying to be a friend. "It's okay. Take your time."

* * *

"Jordan?" The white haired player opened her eyes at the wake up call, kind of surprised that she wasn't up first. More knocks came from her door before her name was called once more, making her sit up. "Are you in there?"

"Come in," Jordan said while fighting back a yawn. The door opened, showing Clay fully outfitted for a tennis match at anytime. "Clay? What are you doing here?"

"Well, for one, checking to make sure you're still alive. It's nearly noon, you know."

The girl gave a look of disbelief. "'Nearly noon?' No, I'm always up before nine."

"Have you checked the clock?" She wasn't amused, but she decided to humor the doubles champ and glance at the digital clock on the other side of the room. It read 11:47.

"Oh my gosh! How did I sleep so late!" Jordan dashed out of bed like the building was on fire, quickly grabbing her clothes and started to get dressed, but then remembered Clay was still in the room. She blushed, noticing how close she was to being indecent, and then started pushing Clay out.

"Hey! What's with the pushing?"

"I'm getting dressed here! Unlike you boys, girls need privacy!"

"But is the pushing-"

"OUT!" With one final shove, Clay lost his balance and tumbled out into the hall followed by a loud slam from Jordan's door. A few heads poked out of their rooms up and down the walkway, curious as to what the commotion was about.

The brunette player looked around, noticing the attention, and blushed while standing up. That was probably the first time he was kicked out of a room, much less a girl's room. Not even Ace gave him that kind of trouble. "I guess the news'll have to wait."

* * *

"I can't believe I overslept," Jordan openly stated as she started to pull on a pair of shorts, but ceased once she realized what she was doing. "No, not shorts!" Glancing around, she noticed her tennis skirt was on the other side of the room, but almost as soon as she stood to retrieve the piece of clothing, she tripped. The impact hurt and the rug on the floor didn't feel well against her bare skin. During her time on the floor, the white haired player felt like a total klutz.

_'Maybe I shouldn't play tennis today,'_ she thought and turned over to look at the ceiling. If she couldn't even grab a skirt without tripping, how could she hit a drop shot close to the net? Looking down, her shorts were still clinging to one of her legs just begging to be worn. A defeated look crossed the girl's features before letting out a small laugh. "I guess I'll take the day to get to know the campus."

* * *

In the café, talk was buzzing about one subject: Nick. When Jordan entered, his name kept coming in her ears every other second no matter where she stood. Instead of breakfast food, the bar contained a lunch selection, but she expected that. She took what she considered a 'brunch' selection and tried to find a table.

Instead, the table found her. "Jordan! Over here!" The girl's dark brown eyes snapped over to the voice's direction, but she relaxed when she noticed Ace was waving to her, a smile on the champ's face.

"That doesn't look like tennis clothes," Clay pointed at as the white haired player came over. Her attire was different compared to her last set of clothes. She wore slightly tight shorts and a yellow shirt under a denim jacket, not exactly something you'd ware on the court to say the least.

"I'm not playing tennis today," Jordan stated as she took a seat. "I was a bit of a klutz as I tried to get dressed."

"Why should that stop you?"

"If I act like that on a court, how am I supposed to win?"

"Just let your other side take over! Once you grab a racket you're all, like, 'no holding back' or anything! Seriously, I-" Clay was interrupted as a certain hand slapped him in the back of the head.

"Don't mind him," Ace said with a mix of laughter and irritation. "If you don't think today's a good day, don't worry about it."

Jordan giggled at the scene while picking up her sandwich. "Thank you."

"But have you heard about Nick recently?" Ace received shake of the head. "He lost against Roy in the Senior courts."

"Why is that so surprising?" Jordan asked after she swallowed her food.

"Roy used an ability like your own." The white haired girl stopped in mid-bite, shocked at the words she just heard. "The new training machines are here and ready to be opened, but Roy was the first to try them out due to a volunteer project. When he came out, he gain the ability to rapidly chain hits near equivalent to a power shot."

Jordan dropped her sandwich, but didn't move an inch. The idea that her own ability can now be used against her frightened her more than even she expected. "How was he after the match?"

"Exhausted," Clay answered. "He may have won the match, but seeing him walking to the lodge, he doesn't look like he'll be playing anymore matches today."

"And what of Chris?" Ace looked at Jordan's eyes closely. They were still a deep shade, but she was talking like she does on the court. "Is he okay?"

"He was shaken, to say the least. If he was willing to play another match, his chance left when Roy entered his dorm."

This time, Jordan's eyes changed. Her head snapped up to an authoritative position, and the doubles champs were suddenly on full alert. "Who has clearance to train for these abilities?"

"Varsity," Ace answered as calmly as she could. "No one lower."

"Are there certain types?"

"According to the a person's play style, I heard," Clay answered. "Like, if you play with power, you can chain a bunch of hard shots."

Jordan's eyes switched back, trailing away as she entered her own thoughts. _'So, Mom was on to something."_

Ace noticed something important was on the girl's mind. The whole scenario must have been a total shock to her, but it was already in motion. The least the champ could do was let herself be someone to talk to. "Jordan..." Ace spoke softly, alerting Clay about the moment going on.

"Uh... Should I go?" Clay asked, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"No," Jordan answered, pushing herself out of her chair. "If Ace doesn't mind, I'd like to walk around during the conversation." Ace nodded, following Jordan out of the café and leaving the brunette alone at the table.

Clay just sat there for a moment, feeling a little out of place in this whole situation. He was a varsity player in doubles, meaning he could train with those machines to gain those abilities, but that would mean participating in whatever was hurting Jordan, and possibly Nick too. The last thing he wanted was to be an enemy to a couple of new people that he actually liked.

"Clay, was it?" Clay jumped at the sudden voice, not expecting anyone to appear in such a short time. Once he focused, he saw a dark blue haired boy with a serious look on his face. "Mind if we talk?"

* * *

The walkways of the Academy was mostly clear, easy for a couple of girls to have their conversation without any eavesdroppers. Ace kept silent as she and Jordan strolled the grounds, waiting for the new girl to talk on her own. Jordan, on the other hand, was waiting for Ace to ask a question regarding how she felt. If Ace was interested, she didn't want to give more information than was necessary.

However, after some time, Jordan broke the silence. "You're wondering how I feel about this, right?"

Ace shrugged, not sure that was the right way of saying it. "I could probably guess how you're feeling. To suddenly hear that anyone can gain an ability that you thought only you and a few others could do would be very shocking."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'shocking' is a best word. I'm surprised, but even my mother guessed this could happen."

Ace's eyes widened at the mention of a parent. "Your mother?"

Jordan nodded. "She called it one's 'inner power.'"

* * *

"This 'inner power' is like the core of your strength released to push you beyond your limit," Nick explained to Clay. The doubles champ was surprised such a subject was actually recorded in science, and he was more surprised that Nick was studying this when he heard about it.

Clay leaned back in his seat, collecting what he heard from the rumors around the campus. "So those who are set in a type of play style has their abilities enhanced for some time?"

"That's a basic way of using it. However, it _can_ be pushed farther than that, but it takes a lot of energy."

Clay was surprised to hear this. The idea that your very essence could be used to enhance your game would drive some power hungry players to use every ounce of energy they have in a game. But if that was the case... "Could it be possible to die from overuse of it?" Nick nodded, making Clay swallow hard. "So... How did you find out you could do it?"

Nick chuckled a moment, before shaking his head. The idea of telling the same story twice in one day was not something he enjoyed, but it couldn't be helped at this point. "My father didn't consider me play tennis worthy of his time. He stuck me to the books whenever I tried to do something for myself. He wanted a genius son, but I wanted to play tennis. One day he found me playing on the courts, and tried to pull me out. I told my opponent to keep playing, and they did. My mind was totally focused in the game even though he was screaming in my ear."

* * *

"Before I knew it, I was hitting the ball so hard that it would leave dents in the pavement," Jordan said, telling Ace her story. "I just kept hitting it again and again, each time with more force than before. I couldn't control it. Then I fell to the ground out of exhaustion and my mother took me in her arms. She looked frantic, even for a doctor. Since then, she started studying the hidden potential of the human body."

"That's when she found this 'core' of energy?"

Jordan nodded. "She called me a tennis prodigy. That was the day she considered signing me into the Royal Academy."

* * *

"He called me a hopeless freak," Nick spat. "He disowned me, and left me in an orphanage. But it didn't take long for a couple to catch wind of my story and adopt me. The 10 year old freak was then taken in by people who always kept a positive outlook and an open mind. About four years later, they wanted me to enjoy my gift and signed me up for this place." Nick motioned all around him, regarding the Academy. "At first I thought it would be too easy, but now..."

* * *

"We have some serious competition." Ace quietly giggled at Jordan's competitive nature. It reminded her of when she and Clay made a promise to make it to the Island Open last year.

"I bet you do," Ace stated playfully. "Just don't be too surprised when you find me knocking balls around you right and left."

Jordan laughed. "I'll be looking forward to it." Looking at the sky, Jordan noticed the Sun was at a later hour than she expected. "But I guess that will have to be during another day. I won't have enough time to change and get started up the ranks."

"Hey, why not come to my dorm?" Ace suggested? "We'll have some fun of our own until the day is done."

The white haired player smiled, accepting the offer, but before they started off, she had something to say. "Ace..."

Ace looked back at her, slightly worried when hearing her tone. "What is it?"

"Thank you," Jordan said. "Thanks for being a friend."

Ace didn't say anything as she took Jordan's hand, almost dragging her back to the dorms as they laughed on the way.

* * *

"Well then," Clay said, an adventurous tone starting to form in his voice, "how about I help you?"

Nicked gave a dumbfounded look. "You help me?"

"Yeah. Just because I'm not ranked in Senior singles doesn't mean my doubles ranking in varsity won't get me in the training area." Nick smiled, liking where this was headed. "I'll get in there, unlock my inner power, and then you and I will train together until you're able to work back up the ranks without any trouble." Clay suddenly stuck out his hand, surprising Nick for a moment. However, his next word allowed Nick to have a say in the matter. "Deal?"

Nick stared at Clay's hand, thinking it over for a second. Then, with a big smile on his face, he grasped the brunette's hand with all his might. "Deal!"


End file.
